Abstract

South-east Italy is a region of distinct archaeological importance in which
environmental factors have clearly played a major role in settlement site selection and
economic development throughout the Holocene. Little is known, however, of how the
environment has changed during this period. This research focuses on the Adriatic
coastal margin of Salento between San Cataldo and Otranto, an important area of
prehistoric and historic settlement. The research principally determines how and at
what rate the environment of the study-area has changed during the Holocene as a
result of the interaction between natural processes and human influence. For the first
time, detailed scientific analysis is provided on Holocene environmental change in
south-east Italy.
Specifically, the impact of natural processes and human influence on vegetation
patterns are investigated, together with the impact of Holocene relative sea-level rise on
this low-lying, semi-arid coastal zone. The research aims are tackled by
geomorphological and palynological investigations of the sedimentary record within the
study-area in order to derive evidence for past environmental conditions. Analyses of
the sediments, macrofossils, incorporated pollen and non-pollen microfossils including
dinoflagellate cysts, diatoms and algal cysts within lacustrine, freshwater marsh and
marine lagoon environments are integrated to maximise the palaeoenvironmental
information obtained. These analyses are interpreted together with archaeological data
to reconstruct spatial differences in Holocene environmental change in the study-area.
Holocene sedimentary sequences are determined and a record of vegetation change
since the mid-Holocene in the study-area is interpreted from palynological analyses. In
contrast to most studies of Holocene vegetation history in Italy, the sharp decline in
woodland vegetation in the middle to late Holocene, is primarily attributed to human
activities rather than climatic change. Palynological and archaeological evidence point
to continuing relative sea-level rise in the past two millennia, an important factor in the
development of coastal marsh in the study-area.